WALKER, Mich. — The Walker City Council voted by a narrow margin Monday night to separate the Department of Public Safety into individual police and fire departments. The vote was 4-3.
Mayor Mark Huizenga and Public Safety Director Catherine Garcia-Lindstrom said the deputies overseeing police and fire operations — Deputy Police Chief Greg Long and Deputy Fire Chief Bob Walker — will become the chiefs of their respective departments.
Instead of overseeing the daily operation of both departments, as she has been doing since 2010, Garcia-Lindstrom now will be more involved in long-term planning.
Garcia-Lindstrom, Long, and Walker all will report directly to the city manager.
